Emotions ran high last night at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Sevilla played out a draw against visiting Barcelona in yet another taut La Liga encounter.
Barcelona ought to be more disappointed with a stalemate, considering Sevilla were down to 10 men early in the second half following Jules Kounde’s moment of madness that earned the Frenchman a straight red.
With the scores locked at 1-1, the game was only getting more competitive before Kounde’s red card added to Sevilla’s woes.
The moment came in the 64th minute of the game when the 23-year-old defender was competing for the ball with Barcelona’s Jordi Alba and Gavi near the sideline.
No sooner did Kounde pick the ball after winning the throw-in, Alba appeared to shoulder barge the Frenchman, which left Kounde enraged, to say the least.
Kounde then smashed the ball straight into Alba’s face, sending the Spanish left-back tumbling down on the ground, writhing in pain.
Jules Kounde gets a straight red for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba's face 😳 pic.twitter.com/SjLC6yTdHv
Although replays reveal that the ball actually hit Alba’s shoulder rather than face, the Barcelona man was quick to make the most of it by clutching his face, leaving the referee no choice other than to send Kounde off.
It appeared as though the Frenchman realised his folly soon thereafter, but the moment had already passed, his violent conduct leaving his team without an additional man at a crucial point during the game.
Despite the home side playing with only 10 men, the Blaugrana failed to capitalize on the opportunity as the score remained 1-1 at full-time.
The incident perhaps might end up costing Sevilla a shot at the title, with the dropped points meaning Real Madrid remain at the top with a comfortable margin of 5 points.
